Yamaha Helm Master

The Miami International Boat Show is always considered a hotbed of innovation and new product releases and this week’s throning event was no different. Among the rafts of new boats and kit was Yamaha’s Helm Master docking system for its outboards.

Announced late last year but only now available in North America and Europe — Australia is on the back burner — Helm Master is a joint venture between Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Swedish marine engine maker AB Volvo Penta.

The control system is designed for use on mid- to large-sized boats with twin or triple mounts of Yamaha’s large-class four-stroke outboards (225-350hp). The system provides electronic control of all the steering, gear shifting and throttle functions, and joystick docking.

The joystick has been designed to enable 360-degree control and turning of the boat at low speeds, with fore-aft, port-starboard and diagonal motion as well as in-place rotation of the bow. This agility in tight areas including channels, moorings and marinas should strike a chord with powerboaters and increase the mounting ratio for Yamaha outboards in the mid- to large-sized boat market in the Northern Hemisphere, the Japanese company hopes.

The main components at the helm are the joystick, remote-control throttles and shift box, electronic key switch, and CLP multi-display for engine monitoring. But Helm Master not only makes docking easier, it also incorporates additional boat control functions, such as automatic trim, speed and even automatic steering friction control.

At the touch of a button, the system integrates all boat control devices while eliminating the need for bow thrusters in most boats. In addition, a user-selectable high mode allows the engines to operate at higher rpm for increased control at low speed.

But while go-fast and sportfishing boaters in the Northern Hemisphere have the option of Helm Master, there are no immediate plans to introduce the new technology to the chiefly single-engine plate-aluminium fishing-boat market in Australia.